Agricultural Labor & Immigration Issues

1
Agricultural Labor Immigration Issues
2
Californias First Laborers

• 64,500 Native California Indians
• Spanish Colonists 21 California Missions
• from San Diego to Sonoma
• Natives died from disease
• The effects of slavery and prejudice.
• 1883-23,000 Indians
• remaining

3
The Chinese

• California Gold Rush-Foreign Miners Tax
• Independent miners, entrepreneurs, professionals,
  and artisans
• Transcontinental Railroad-Sierra Nevada
• The Delta water system
• Establishment of orchard crops
• Tongs-an attempt at organized
• labor
• 1883-Chinese immigration
• halted

4
The Japanese

• Issei and Nisei-hard workers
• Strawberries-leased land, wanted to own land
• Californias Alien Land Law of 1913, 3 yr. limit
  on leasing then no leasing
• Immigration stopped in 1924
• Pearl Harbor-camps and deportation
• 1944-camps closed-allowed to go back to Japan but
  57,000 stayed
• Local stories.

5
Mexican Labor

• World War I-workers from India Pakistan
• Prior to WWI, Mexican workers joined the labor
  force but were stopped by Civil War in Mexico
• 1917-1st Bracero program-many problems so halted
  in 1921 but Mexicans continued to cross the border

6
The Great Depression

• Mexicans sent home
• 285,000 Okies and Arkies escape the Dust Bowl
  hoping to establish family farms
• Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• World War II-workers to army and industry
• Bracero agreements

7
How Did California Agriculture Labor Become
Different From The Rest of the United States?

• Wheat fields were replaced by orchards,
  vineyards, vegetable production all require hand
  harvest.
• Farm labor workforce-relatively unskilled,
  seasonal laborers willing to work for low wages
  in short, intermittent bursts, follow the
  harvest.
• Proximity to Mexico for seasonal labor needs
• Landowners increase their use of immigrant
  workers as irrigation was perfected turbine pump
  in the 1920s
• Laborers were transient and totally dependent on
  available work leading to chronic poverty

8
Todays Farm Worker
1/3 jobs are in crop harvest
82 are men
61 are married
9/10 work in fruit, nuts, and vegetables
Average 6 years of education
Average age is 33
Most expect to remain in farm work
56 have children
3/10 are employed by Farm Labor Contractors
lt10 speak or read English fluently
8/10 hold 2 or more farm jobs in a 1 year period
9
Economic Significance of Farm Workers

• United States 749,000 workers
• Average wage of 8.73/hour
• Work an average of 36.8
• hours per week
• California 128,000 workers
• Average wage 9.95/hr.
• Work an average of 39.9 hours
• per week
• San Joaquin Region 50,900 workers

10
Farm Labor vs. Non-Farm Labor

• Industry earnings 9.27 in textile mills to
  20.44 in primary metal manufacturing

11
The IssuesWages

• Employers
• Farm labor is extremely important!
• Labor intensive, strenuous work raises labor
  costs and makes it difficult to find workers
• Cost of labor is 20 to 40 of production costs

• Farm Laborers
• 8 to 10 an hour
• versus 14 to 15 per hour in industry
• Strenuous work in all types of weather
• Chronic labor shortage
• Cant be hired from the unemployment lines. Many
  people refuse to work in ag labor.
• Only 12 speak English, 85 have not finished
  high school

12
Piece Rate VersusHourly Rate

• Farmers
• 1/3 of agriculture workers receive piece rate pay
• Examples?
• Advantage to employer- faster workers make more
  money
• Minimum standards are set and enforced
• May result in lower quality work

• Workers
• Experienced workers make more money
• Can lead to more injuries as workers increase
  their pace.
• Ladder injuries

13
Immigration Issues

• U.S. Government
• Bracero Program-1942 to 1964-fairly successful
  immigration program.
• Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986-onus
  on employers-noncompliance equals fines and jail
  time
• 1985-86-unauthorized persons allowed to apply for
  immigrant status
• Current issue employers are responsible for
  proving their employees are legal.

• Immigrants
• Poverty caused by fear of returning to Mexico and
  not being allowed back into the U.S.
• Reforms thought to improve wages and benefits
  through a legal workforce might result in legal
  workers moving to industry and an increase in
  illegal immigration
• Illegal workers now make up 50 of the immigrant
  workforce
• Agriculture
• Construction
• Hospitality

14
Farm Labor Contractors

• Farmers
• Dont have to deal directly with the workers
• Can overcome language barriers
• Ample supply of workers when needed
• Training provided by contractor
• All paperwork completed by contractor workmans
  compensation, payroll, taxes and deductions.

• Workers
• Recruiters responsible to train new workers
• Exploitation-contractors make money off other
  services-banking, food, lodging, transportation
• No written contracts-labor law violations
• Day-haul labor markets
• Transportation issues

15
Housing

• 800,000 people hired to work on California farms
  yearly
• There are 2,100 family housing units in 26
  centers and each houses fewer than two workers
• An additional 1,044 centers will house five or
  more workers leaving the remaining workers to
  find housing from private sources big problem
  in some areas (Napa, Sonoma)
• Government agencies subsidized housing through
  government grants and loans
• 13 on employer provided housing, 37 live with
  family members, 50 pay an average of 238/mo.
  rent

16
Other Farm Worker Issues

• Less than 1/3 of workers have CA drivers
  licenses
• 70 pay an average of 5 per day for
  transportation to work
• 97 say they pay for their own tools even though
  the employer is required to pay
• Lack of health care

17
More Farm Worker Issues

• Technology has reduced
• available jobs
• Training needed in
• semiskilled and skilled tasks
• Farm workers are at
• risk for pesticide
• exposure

18
Changes in Farm Labor Regulations

• Sanitation
• Farmers must provide restrooms within a
  reasonable walking distance.
• Female workers must have their own restroom
  facilites.
• Hand washing water and soap must be available.
• Pesticide Training
• Farm workers handling and applying pesticides
  must have specific training in their native
  language.
• Appropriate protective equipment must be provided
  by the employer (goggles, disposeable clothes,
  gloves etc.)
• Working Conditions
• Employer must provide water and appropriate
  breaks especially in extreme weather.

19
Laws Regulations

• U.S. Dept. of Labor-Employer must provide Wages,
  Workers Compensation Social Security
• U.S. Code-Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural
  Worker Protection Act
• USDA Labor Affairs- immigration, H-2A Temporary
  Agricultural Worker Program, Worker Protection
  Standards for pesticide use, agricultural labor
  supply, and farm worker employment

20
Laws Regulations

• Targeted Industries Partnership Program (1992)
  requires state and federal agencies to inspect
  sanitary facilities
• U.S. Immigration Naturalization Service-
  employment eligibility verification I-9 form
• California Labor Code-Wages, Hours and Working
  Conditions Agricultural Labor Relations Farm
  Labor Contractors Workers' Compensation
• Agricultural Labor Relations Board

21
Early Organized Labor

• Early attempts at organized labor met with
  threats of deportation, widespread arrests,
  strikebreakers and violence
• Strikes in 1930, 32 and 33-Agriculture Workers
  Union-higher wages
• National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) formed
  in 1962 by Cesar Chavez which later became the
  United Farm Workers of America.

22
United Farm Workers of America

• Based in Delano, California
• Originally chartered in 1966 as the United Farm
  Workers Organizing Committee
• Chavez- president-firm believer in peaceful
  demonstration and negotiation
• Joined Filipino grape pickers in 1965-nationwide
  boycott of California table grapes-higher wages
• 1966-march on Sacramento-70 workers led by
  Chavez-grew to 10,000 as they approached the
  state capitol

23

• 1968-Grape boycott worldwide-25 million lawsuit
  by 100 grape growers and shippers against Chavez
  and the UFW
• 1970-grape workers reach contract
  agreements-lettuce boycott begins
• 1973-United Farm Workers of America-60,000 farm
  workers-new round of boycotts for grape growers
  
• 1988-Chavez fasts for 36 days to protest
  pesticide use.
• 1990-Chavez negotiates an agreement with the
  Mexican government- Mexican farm workers in the
  U.S. can provide medical benefits to their
  families in Mexico
• Chavez-receives Aguila Azteca, highest Mexican
  civilian award
• Cesar Chavez dies of natural causes on April 23,
  1993 in San Luis, Arizona
• Chavez receives the U.S. Medal of Freedom from
  Pres. Clinton in 1994 Cesar Chavez Day-March 31st
• http//www.pbs.org/itvs/fightfields/cesarchavez.ht
  ml

24
Comparison of Agricultural Wages around the world

• Mexico farm labor makes 50-60 pesos per day
  (about 5)
• El Salvador
• Chile
• China
• America - 80-100 per day.

25
California Ag Labor

• Remember California has some of the most
  stringent employer requirements and one of the
  highest minimum wages in the USA.
• Workers are required to receive pesticide
  training, regular breaks and sanitary working
  conditions.
• These conditions and precautions dont exist in
  many countries that the USA imports food from
  remember to support LOCAL agriculture!
• Fair Trade commodities??